Food
Photo © Shvadchak Vasyl.
Physical Science (soil, components of soil, soil texture); Life Science (seeds, plants, plant growth, photosynthesis, edible plant parts, food webs, ecosystems, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, nutrients, digestion); Environmental Science and Health (pollution in food, bacteria, food labels, food safety, bioaccumulation)
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What's That Food? (pre-assessment)
Lesson
Students observe and describe samples of different food groups. This activity can be used as a pre-assessment of students' knowledge about food and nutritional needs.
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What Is Soil Made Of?
Lesson
Students explore a sample of natural soil by identifying and separating its different components.
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Do Plants Need Light?
Lesson
Students learn about plant growth and development by conducting an experiment that demonstrates the importance of light to plants.
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Plant Parts You Eat
Lesson
Students observe and investigate different plant-originated foods and learn about plant parts.
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Food Webs
Lesson
Students construct possible food webs for six different ecosystems and learn about producers, consumers, herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers.
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Digestion
Lesson
Students learn about digestion and proteins by observing the action of meat tenderizer on luncheon meat.
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Bio Build-up
Lesson
Students make a simple model food chain and observe how toxins can accumulate in consumers at the top of the chain.
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They're Everywhere: Bacteria
Lesson
Students grow bacteria collected from a variety of locations and compare the results.
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Using Food Labels
Lesson
Students learn about food labels, healthful eating, and units of measurement commonly used on food labels.
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Safe Food Preparation
Lesson
Students learn about safe food preparation by making fruit ice cream in class.
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Healthy Snacks (post-assessment)
Lesson
Students rank food labels to indicate which foods are most and least healthful and justify their rankings. Students also suggest ways to prevent snacks from spoiling.